Water diverters are used in water-bearing domestic appliances, such as washing machines or dishwashers for example, to control flows of liquid in the water-bearing domestic appliance. When used in a washing machine water diverters serve to dispense washing or rinsing water for example to a first or second detergent compartment of two detergent compartments. When used in dishwashers water diverters serve to dispense washing water, also referred to as washing liquor, for example alternately to a spray arm for an upper rack or to a spray arm for a lower rack of the respective dishwasher or simultaneously to both spray arms.
In the case of a known water diverter (DE 16 10 146 B2) a rotatable control slider is provided in a cylindrical housing, connecting a supply channel to one of a number of discharge channels by means of a swivel tube. The swivel tube here has a rotating pin, which is disposed in a socket of the supply channel in the manner of a ball and socket joint. A sealing element in the manner of a hollow cylinder is secured to the mouth of the swivel tube opposite the discharge channels and slides in a cylindrical guide running concentrically to the outer surface of the housing. However such a mechanical sealing apparatus is only suitable for a seal in a cylindrical housing. The known mechanical sealing apparatus in question is not suitable for sealing passage openings through a flat rotating disk in respect of fluid discharge lines opposite said flat rotating disk. Also this known water diverter can produce an unwanted pressure loss in the water flow to be distributed in each instance due to its deflection by means of the swivel tube.
Another known water diverter (DE 101 33 130 A1) consists of a rotating slider disposed in the pressure chamber of a circulating pump before branching pressure connections to block and release the pressure connections for washing liquid and a drive for the rotating slider outside and inside the pressure chamber. The rotating slider in question is formed by a cylindrical component, in the cylindrical wall of which one or more apertures are located between one and a number of movable closing elements with a valve function. The apertures and the closing elements are configured in their relative position to the pressure connections, which form the water supply and/or water discharge connections, such that depending on the rotation of the rotating slider, the pressure connections opposite its cylinder wall are released or blocked in a sealing manner. However this known sealing apparatus is thus also only suitable for sealing openings provided in a cylinder wall. The known mechanical sealing apparatus in question is not suitable for sealing passage openings through a flat rotating disk in respect of fluid discharge lines opposite said flat rotating disk. And this known water diverter also produces an unwanted pressure loss in the water flow to be distributed in each instance due to its deflection in the abovementioned rotating slider.
An expansion connection apparatus for a pipe carrying a fluid medium under pressure and at a high temperature, in particular for a pipe connecting the exhaust of a vehicle to a turbocharger serving to compress the fuel mixture, is already known (DE 29 10 429 A1; GB 2 016 627 A). With this known expansion connection apparatus an outer pipe element and an inner pipe element that can be pushed into it in a telescopic manner are provided; a sealing apparatus is also disposed between the end of the outer pipe element and the peripheral surface of the inner pipe element and an apparatus producing a Venturi effect is also secured to the telescopic end of the inner pipe element, serving to reduce the pressure and temperature of the fluid medium at the sealing apparatus. This known expansion connection apparatus allows exhaust gases to be prevented in a leakage path when a combustion engine is started up, in that both the pressure and the temperature of the fluid medium can be reduced at the sealing or damping apparatus by utilizing the abovementioned Venturi effect, being disposed between the abovementioned telescopic pipe elements. Whether and optionally how this known sealing measure could be used to seal a transition region between a rotatable fluid distribution element, to which a fluid to be discharged to one or more fluid discharge lines can be supplied from a fluid supply line, cannot however be derived from the known expansion connection apparatus.